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AADI Research Studies
Asian Americans are twice as likely to develop diabetes compared to the general U.S. population. It is estimated, by 2030 almost half of the new cases of diabetes in the world’s population will be among Asians and Pacific Islanders. Only through carefully designed and executed research could we understand and identify the unique genetic, physiological, psychosocial, and educational needs of Asian American with diabetes. The clinical research studies at Asian American Diabetes Initiative (AADI) are aimed at discovering and solving the unique challenges faced by Asians and Asian Americans with diabetes. These study areas include:
- Diet Study
- Diabetes Education Study
- Physiology Study
Diet Study
AADI is investigating why Asian Americans have higher rate of diabetes compared with Caucasian Americans by looking at the way Asian descents, compared with Caucasians, respond to the changes in diets. We are currently actively recruiting for this study. For more information, click here for the study flyer or call us at 617-732-2606.
Diabetes Education Study
The goal of this study was to assess linguistic barrier to diabetes knowledge and diabetes control in Chinese Americans. After conducting a series of focus groups and surveys in Boston, New York, New Jersey, and San Francisco, we found that educational materials, such as the bilingual diabetes guide Staying Healthy With Diabetes, improved diabetes knowledge, improved communication of diabetes information with family and doctors, and were important components of providing culturally competent and linguistically appropriate diabetes care. Results of the study will be presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Diabetes Association, 2005.
Physiology Study: Studying Heart Disease in Chinese Americans with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Heart attack is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Because having diabetes increases the risk for developing heart disease, the growth of diabetes among the Chinese population may be an increasingly important risk factor for heart disease in the years ahead. The rate of diabetes is rising much faster in Asian Americans than in Caucasians. For this reason, we sought to investigate the effects of diabetes on the development of heart disease. Abnormal blood vessel function is an early feature of heart disease. Strong evidence suggests that impaired blood vessel function is related to insulin resistance and in turn, insulin resistance is related to body fat. It has been shown that Asian Americans tend to have higher levels of insulin resistance than other ethnic groups. However, it is unclear whether having higher insulin resistance predisposes Chinese Americans to the development of heart disease. Therefore in our study, we were seeking to determine the relationship between blood vessel function, insulin resistance, and body fat in Chinese American with diabetes.
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